Building Cross Platform Desktop Apps with Electron

Posted by: admin on April 14, 2017

On March 25, 2017 I attended a one-day workshop hosted by HackerYou to learn how to create cross platform Desktop applications using the Electron Framework.

The concept of building esktop applications using little more than Javascript, HTML, and CSS intrigued me. It opened up doors of new possibilities and avenues for me to explore. Learning to use my existing skills as a wed developer to build actual applicatiosn was an opportunity I couldn’t allow myself to miss.

The class took place in one of HackerYou’s learning spaces that was well catered to the size of the group that attended. Haris Mahmood, the instructor was very friendly, energetic, knowledgeable and helpful throughout the course. It was a great learning atmosphere and the time flew by very quickly.

We covered quite a lot over the 6 hour time period, but it was clear that we had likely only scratched the surface of Electron’s true potentials.

The idea of being able to write my own applications that I could run on my desktop PC, as well as my laptop that wouldn’t require any installation process was inspiring. The applications I could use something like that for in my every day use of my computers wre potentially endless.

By the end of the workshop, we had successfuly built a desktop application that could dynamically search an images API and load the images into the application window as you typed in the search bar.

Harris even took the time to work with one-on-one after class to sort out some of the deployment differences I was encountering a my Windows laptop versus the rest of the classes Macbooks. That extra time and effort was greatly appreciated.

My only wish for a workshop like this would be that it had been two days instead of only one, simply to allow us to cover more material and discover more of Electron’s true potential as a group.

This was my first workshop experience with HackerYou, and just as my first part-time course it was a great one. Their selection of instructors continues to set a very high bar in the industry, the subject intriguing and leading-edge, and the learning spaces far more comfortable than most classrooms you would find in a college. To top it all off, they even include a lunch that they provide you.